Fears for Scots economy as Poles head home

Study says the return home of Polish migrants will damage Scottish businesses

SCOTLAND'S economy has become too heavily dependent on economic migrants from Poland, according to a report that warns the country's prosperity could suffer when they return home.

The study by Robert Wright, professor of economics at Strathclyde University, says eastern European workers are less likely to lay down permanent roots here than immigrants from further afield, creating a potentially destabilising problem for the economy.

Those industries most vulnerable to the future withdrawal of the migrant labour force include hospitality, construction, food processing and agriculture.

Wright, an adviser to the government's Office for National Statistics, claims the soaring value of the euro against sterling means Scottish wages are now less attractive as a source of funds to send home to relatives in Poland.

Other prosperous European Union countries, including the Netherlands, have relaxed their labour market laws to welcome Poles since last year, and Germany, their nearest neighbour, will open its